Within the past couple of years, a number of incidents have taken place across the world including terror attacks and natural disasters that have had a major impact on people’s lives. Although the majority of incidents like these cannot be predicted or stopped (especially if it’s a force of nature), robust planning needs to be in place to ensure that the damage that’s done is limited.
Those responsible for damage limitation and preventing loss of life are highly skilled and expertly trained public safety workers. These individuals work tirelessly to ensure that the public remains safe and are informed of any emergencies that may occur and affect them. Examples may include adverse weather conditions or an outbreak of a disease like bird flu, for example.
However, with these types on incidents on the rise, the industry is searching for new types of professionals, those with critical thinking and leadership skills who are comfortable with using a range of technology.
Some of the areas where new job openings are becoming available are:
- National Security – A government-based position responsible for the security of a nation state. Within national security, there are a number of core areas that are vital to maintain the security of a nation which include the security of citizens, economic security and the security of institutions.
- Cyber Security – The protection of computer systems which may be at government level, military level or even within a large business. Cyber security is also concerned with the security of data ensuring that breaches don’t occur and that systems are kept safe from hackers. This type of role is becoming ever more important with the number of cyber based attacks on the rise.
- Emergency Management – Managing and allocating resources to ensure that an emergency doesn’t turn into a disaster. This may include doing risk assessments, creating emergency plans for governments or businesses and coordinating a response in a state of emergency. Emergency management deals with both man-made and natural emergencies.
- Law Enforcement – Working to keep the public safe, law enforcement officers may be based in the field or assume a more administrative type role. Typical responsibilities associated with work in this area may include answering emergency calls, investigating crimes, and actively dealing with or planning a response to acts of public disorder at events like protests.
- Medical and Health Services – Coordinating and facilitating the delivery of healthcare services for one institution, a region or a whole country. Roles may include dealing with logistics to ensure that everything runs smoothly and developing work schedules. Another key responsibility for someone working in a managerial type role is managing and dealing with finance and funding.
- Research – Similar to emergency management but more focused on research than planning, a role in this area will be very data focused and analytical. It requires looking at past data and interpreting it to understand where risks may come from in the future. It’s a vital component in emergency planning and strategic planning.
- Sporting Experiences – With interest in extreme sports at an all-time high, businesses involved in delivering sporting events and experiences are in need of technical experts to help deliver them safely. Creating clear plans and training staff are two key areas that are core to delivering a safe event. For sports that require equipment such as sky diving or motor car racing, a further degree of scrutiny is required.
To help drive an increase in the number of people entering the public safety industry, the internet is being used to deliver professional courses in public safety online.
Typically, the type of people signing up may come from a military or emergency service background, and courses are generally open to anyone who meets the minimum course requirements. You can click here to learn more about studying a public safety degree online.
This new approach to training and up-skilling the next generation of public safety officials is something that other industries are also using to diversify the range of people entering their fields.
Due to the nature of online study, it can be done around full-time employment or other commitments. This makes it attractive to young people who didn’t attend further education, parents, and people looking to change career without taking time out to study in a physical location.
With the need for public safety workers only likely to increase, now is the time to explore your options and decide whether a career in public safety is right for you. With a diverse range of roles available there’s never been a better time to take advantage of the internet for online study and to kick-start a new career.
